Alexis Sanchez bagged a winner in the 120th minute as Inter Milan snatch a late victory over Juventus to win the Supercoppa Italiana.
Inter Milan left it late to emerge victorious in the Supercoppa Italiana clash with Juventus, with former Manchester United superstar Alexis Sanchez scoring in the final minute of Extra Time.
It was a riveting encounter in the Derby d’Italia as both sides fought tooth and nail to get on top of the proceedings. It was an even encounter for large portions of the game, with each team getting enough opportunities to make a difference in front of goal.
Reigning Italian champions Inter were by far the most expressive as they mustered 23 shots on goal. But a majority of their forays into the final third led to either an attempt off target or a tame effort from long range. They had a couple of close calls denied by the referee and looked more and more frustrated as the game progressed.
Juventus drew first blood in the game, with Weston McKennie’s run into the box taking the Inter centre-backs by surprise. However, their lead did not last long as Mattia De Sciglio conceded a foul inside the box after ten minutes, allowing Lautaro Martinez to level the scoring.
Inter created far more opportunities in the second half but were unable to find a breakthrough. It was a similar story for a majority of extra-time before an unlikely break, and an extraordinary bit of commitment from Matteo Darmian saw the ball break kindly to Alexis Sanchez inside the box.
The ex-Arsenal star made no mistake in netting a late winner, which was enough to sink Juventus’s hopes of taking the game into penalties. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will take a closer look at how these two sets of players performed in this fiery contest in Derby d’Italia on Wednesday.
Inter Milan
Samir Handanovic: 6/10
Samir Handanovic could not have done much to save McKennie’s goal in the first quarter of the game. After the initial period of pressure, he wasn’t called into making any big saves, with Juventus mustering only two shots on target.
Milan Skriniar: 7/10
Milan Skriniar had a good game defensively. He was strong with his tackles and didn’t allow the Juventus attackers to cause too many problems on the night.
Stefan de Vrij: 7/10
Stefan de Vrij was another Inter defender that barely showed any weaknesses in what was a rather impressive defensive effort. The Dutchman was caught off-guard by McKennie’s run, but he barely put a foot wrong afterwards.
Alessandro Bastoni: 7/10
Alessandro Bastoni accompanied Skriniar and de Vrij well in the Inter back three. He was more involved in passing the ball out from the back, keeping Dejan Kulusevski quiet in the process.
Denzel Dumfries: 6.5/10
Denzel Dumfries wasn’t as impactful as he has been lately. Nevertheless, the right wingback caused a myriad of issues for Alex Sandro and may have been more influential with a little bit more end product in his crosses.
Hopefully, the first of many trophies with this team! ?⚫? #ForzaInter #IMWinner #SupercoppaFrecciarossa pic.twitter.com/ZZINHVFyA7
— Denzel Dumfries (@DenzelJMD2) January 12, 2022
Nicolo Barella: 6.5/10
Nicolo Barella was a key midfield outlet for Inter. His technical prowess and ability to evade the opposition press came in handy, although the Italian may have been a bit more influential going forward.
Marcelo Brozovic: 7.5/10
Marcelo Brozovic held the fort in the middle of the park, preventing the Juventus midfielders from dominating this game. His passing, composure and ability to initiate counterattacks was key aspect of Inter’s play.
Hakan Calhanoglu: 6/10
Hakan Calhanoglu looked desperate in the final third and was certainly willing to test Mattia Perin in goal. He notably delivered four key passes in the game, but the incision was lacking from the ex-Bayer Leverkusen superstar.
Ivan Perisic: 6.5/10
Ivan Perisic made a good account of himself with his work rate in the final third. He showed excellent commitment and emerged as a leader on the left flank.
Edin Dzeko: 7/10
Edin Dzeko was unfortunate not to receive even one clear cut goalscoring opportunity. But the Bosnian international showcased immense commitment and work ethic to keep the opposition busy throughout the game. He ended up winning the penalty that led to the equaliser.
Lautaro Martinez: 7/10
Lautaro Martinez missed a golden opportunity to score early on in the proceedings. Thankfully for him, he was able to make amends with a confident penalty that helped Inter level the scoring. He was always a menacing presence in the attack due to his speed and dynamism.
SUBSTITUTES
Alexis Sanchez: 7/10
Alexis Sanchez was in the right place at the right time to send home a late opportunity and win the game for Inter.
ALEXIS SANCHEZ SEU GOSTOSO pic.twitter.com/GiVwvsuzTZ
— Af (@_aflucas05) January 12, 2022
Joaquin Correa: 6/10
Joaquin Correa offered more pace and dynamism after coming on for Dzeko.
Matteo Darmian: 7/10
It was Matteo Darmian’s intensity and aggression that led to Sanchez’s opportunity late in the game, as he hurried and hassled Giorgio Chiellini inside the box.
Arturo Vidal: 6.5/10
Arturo Vidal looked determined to play the ball forward ever since coming on for Barella in the 89th minute.
Federico Dimarco: 6/10
Offered more defensive presence on the left flank after replacing the tiring Perisic.
Juventus
Mattia Perin: 7/10
Mattia Perin was put into a perilous position by Juventus defenders due to the immense pressure from Inter. However, the goalkeeper remained strong in between the sticks, notably making an excellent save to deny Dumfries in the second half.
Mattia De Sciglio: 6/10
Mattia De Sciglio had problems dealing with the dynamic and unpredictable nature of Inter’s wide players. He ended up conceding the penalty in the 35th minute to allow the Nerazzurri to get back into the game.
Daniele Rugani: 5.5/10
Daniele Rugani was very passive at times in dealing with the threat of Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez. It has been a problem in his game for a long time, though the defender did well to soak up the pressure for the most part.
Giorgio Chiellini: 7.5/10
Giorgio Chiellini was one of the better performers for Juventus. He made a myriad of tackles and blocks to help Juventus remain in the contest, while his leadership at the back was equally important. Unfortunately, the veteran was not helped by his defensive teammates.
Alex Sandro: 2/10
Alex Sandro produced arguably his worst performance in Juventus as he was taken completely off-guard by Inter’s wide players. He was culpable for the late winner as his chested back pass to Chiellini was intercepted brilliantly by an onrushing Darmian.
Consider that the final nail in Alex Sandro's Juventus coffin.
Indefensible.
— Inconvenient Truth (@ITruth98) January 12, 2022
Federico Bernardeschi: 5/10
Federico Bernardeschi continues to struggle with his lack of decision-making skills in the final third. He put himself in good positions on numerous occasions but failed to find the right pass and instead opted to take a shot on goal.
Manuel Locatelli: 5/10
Manuel Locatelli struggled to replicate his performance against AS Roma. He failed to offer resilience in midfield and deal with Inter’s high-intense approach. Not the best of games from the Italian international.
Adrien Rabiot: 5/10
Starting ahead of Rodrigo Bentancur, Adrien Rabiot failed to offer any real penetration in the final third. He also struggled to cope with the pressure from the Inter Milan midfielders.
Weston McKennie: 7/10
Massimiliano Allegri’s decision to start with Weston McKennie paid off when the American international made a clever run to score the opener in the 25th minute. His energy and enthusiasm were exactly what Juventus missed from the other players on the night.
WESTON MCKENNIE GIVES JUVENTUS A 1-0 LEAD IN THE ITALIAN SUPER CUP!
(via @CBSSportsGolazo) pic.twitter.com/f4bhXgz2nl
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) January 12, 2022
Dejan Kulusevski: 5.5/10
Dejan Kulusevski showcased glimpses of his talents at times, but the Swede simply was not consistent enough to cause problems for the opposition. Much like Rabiot, he struggled to involve himself much in the proceedings.
Alvaro Morata: 6/10
Alvaro Morata’s creativity and skill on the ball led to the opener from Juventus. He failed to replicate his performance against Roma, but the Spaniard was certainly a much better attacking outlet than Kulusevski.
SUBSTITUTES
Paulo Dybala: 5.5/10
Paulo Dybala was introduced in the 74th minute to change the complexion of the game. Unfortunately, the Argentine international was not able to make too much difference.
?????? I love this game pic.twitter.com/8FKWbjVZUw
— InterYaLautaro (@InterYaLautaro) January 12, 2022
Arthur Melo: 5/10
Arthur Melo offered freshness in midfield, but nothing else.
Moise Kean: 5/10
Moise Kean had trouble getting involved in the game.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 5/10
Replaced Locatelli in the 90th minute, a change that had very little impact on the game.
